Sir John Philip William Dankworth

Originally published in the Britannica Book of the Year.Presented as archival content.

Last Updated:

4-2-2015

Sir John Philip William Dankworth, (born Sept. 20, 1927, Woodford, Essex, Eng.—died Feb. 6, 2010, London, Eng.) British jazz musician and composer who helped popularize modern and bebop jazz in Britain; he was also a notable composer of film music and a champion of music education. Dankworth began his career playing clarinet with traditional jazz bands but, inspired by a recording by Charlie Parker, had switched by the mid-1940s to the alto saxophone. In 1948 he was a founder of Club Eleven, a refuge for lovers of bebop, and about a year later he introduced the Johnny Dankworth Seven. That group broke up in 1953, ... (100 of 237 words)